Five years ago, at 38 weeks and 3 days with my first son, my waters broke but I didn’t go into labour straight away.

I spent the night in hospital waiting but contractions didn’t start so I had to be induced the following afternoon.

After a long labour to get to 3 cm dilated, things finally got moving and I was back on track for my vaginal birth.

By this stage, I’d had an epidural due to epic contractions from the induction and somewhere in the wee hours of the morning, it was time to push.

Things didn’t quite go to plan

Bub got stuck so we took a break and tried again but he was well and truly wedged and wouldn’t even budge with an attempted ventouse delivery, so I had to be rushed in for an emergency C-section and delivered a healthy baby boy around 38 hours after my waters had broken.

It was a bit of a blur from all of the drugs I had to have for the surgery but the staff and my obstetrician were wonderful. I got plenty of cuddles straight away and skin-to-skin contact shortly after as they wheeled me into recovery. I even remember a midwife trying to position bub to feed as I was being wheeled through the corridor as I couldn’t hold him due to the excessive shaking from the drugs.

After everything settled I was able to appreciate how lucky I was to have such great care to ensure bub and I were safe and sound.

Second time around, feeling at peace

Three years later, for my second birth, I was advised that another caesarean was medically necessary as the same thing would happen if I attempted a VBAC.

I was comfortable with this as I had been lucky enough to experience full labour. Again my waters broke, this time at 37 weeks and 5 days, so I went to the hospital within an hour or so and got ready for my second C-section as faint contractions started.

Within a few hours, I had my second beautiful boy (a surprise this time) and it was such a different experience but again, so positive.

I had a different obstetrician as mine was sadly away since bub was so early, and she also confirmed that I would not have been able to have a natural birth.

I felt completely content in the knowledge that I’ve delivered two healthy babies in the best way my body can manage.

It was also so lovely to have the same midwife who helped me during the toughest parts of my first labour, and in the days following, as I struggled with three-hourly feeds to flush out bub’s jaundice to avoid him having to go under lights. She remembered me straight away and it felt like having an old friend there cheering me on.

At the end of the day, I’m just incredibly grateful for my 2 c-section births and that I am lucky enough to have two healthy, beautiful boys. If I had to do it all again, I wouldn’t change anything. Everything happened just as it was meant to.

Disclaimer: This personal account has been published as it was told to Wholehearted Family Health and does not reflect the opinions or constitute recommendations from Wholehearted Family Health or the businesses that work with Wholehearted Family Health. Always consult your midwife or doctor in regards to any medical advice pertaining to your unique situation.

Andrea is a midwife, child health nurse and creator of Wholehearted Family Health, an online wellness hub for WA mums interested in natural health and parenting. It is her mission to bridge the gap between mainstream and complementary health, to enable mamas to access holistic health information and care for their families.